Rugby World Cup Blog | Jonah Lomu | 2007

Bordeaux... and a spot of rugby!

Sat Sep 29 01:05PM

I was fortunate to be invited to Bordeaux by some friends of mine this week and spent a day and a half touring some of the finest vineyards in France, in fact in the world. We stayed at Chateau Cheval Blanc for two nights, where we were incredibly well looked-after by everyone at the property and we had the chance to sample some of their wines with their winemaker.

The next day we took a ride over to the Medoc region with our first visit to Chateau Beychevelle where we were hosted by the general manager and winemaker Philippe Blanc. He showed us around the Chateau giving us the history dating right back to when it was first established. We enjoyed an amazing lunch sampling five different vintages dating back to 1982, they were superb red wines and Philippe and his staff made us feel very welcome. It is one of the most beautiful Chateaux I have been to.

Our next stop was Château Rauzan Ségla where we were hosted by Sandrine and joined during our tour by the winemaker John Kolasa. We toured the vineyard and enjoyed some time with the pickers and sorters at the chateau. There was a great atmosphere in the sorting room, loud French music was playing and everyone talking over one another. I cause a bit of a stir because everyone stopped sorting and wanted photos and autographs and I kept saying to them 'what about the grapes'??!! It was just as I had imagined it should be in a Chateau and they were really great people. The picture on the blog is at this vineyard - I'm thinking about taking the barrel with me!

By this time it was late in the afternoon and we were dragged away from the vineyards to Stade André Moga for the Rugby Legends tournament where teams from Spain, Canada, Australia and France played in a seven-a-side tournament before all coming together for a Banquet at Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion. Here we drank more beautiful wines and ate more food and enjoyed the company of some great rugby players and some old friends that I haven't seen for a while. The photo on the site is at the dinner. The Spanish players started this making a line and I had to stretch my arms out and make horns like a bull and they carried with their hands it was hilarious. Bruno who runs the Chateau gave me a 1975 bottle of red from the vineyard, my birth year which was a very special gift.

Yesterday morning I visited Chateau Canon and was taken on a tour of the limestone caves below the Vineyard which were amazing. We also visited a gated off area that they call "Paradise" where all the old wines are kept dating back to 1869. They presented me with a bottle of wine from my year of birth 1975 so it seemed the word had got round! I came away from the two days with a suitcase full of wine, some fantastic memories and some new friends, it was a great experience and my thanks goes to all those involved with making it a great few days.

I always thought Tonga-England would be a hard fought match, the David and Goliath match of the tournament. Walking to the stadium last night there was an uneasy feeling amongst the English supporters compared to the Tongan supporters who were upbeat and bubbly and dying in anticipation of what might happen. Having gone so close in their game against South Africa this looked to be a real chance for them.

Before the game began the teams lined up at half way for the Tongan's to do their war dance, the English arm in arm right on halfway facing the challenge head on. As the war dance began the English supporters began to sing Swing Low Sweet Chariot and with every action the Tongan's did in their war cry they inched closer towards the English team and it ended with Inoeke Afeaki eyeball-to-eyeball with his opponent. It set the tone for what this game was about and how it would be played, a battle of survival.

Tonga started the match the stronger, with good ball carries by the forwards, breaking through tackles. An infringement by England allowed Pierre Hola to put the first points on the board. This added to the confidence of the Tongan team. A few minutes later the English replied with their own penalty by goal kicking ace Jonny Wilkinson. Tongan's first try came from a ruck on the left hand side of the field, they showed great strength to get over the advantage line to offload to the half back whose momentum carried him over the line. I was impressed by their ball handling skills during the first half and the accuracy of their game.

The English replied with a Wilkinson special, a cross kick to Paul Sackey which landed with pinpoint accuracy just inside the in-goal. Sackey showed great athleticism to ground the ball. It was the best way the English could have replied. The try remained unconverted and the scores nail bitingly close. A drop goal by Wilkinson put England in the lead by 11 points to 10. Just before the half time whistle Sackey scored again with an intercept just metres from his own line, sprinting the length of the field to score his second. Going into half time the score was just 19 to 10.

In the second half the English had figured out how to put consistent pressure, forcing the Tongans to rely on their kicking game. The positional kicking by the Tongan team was poor; kicks that were meant for touch didn't make it and it allowed England to bring the ball back to them on attack. With the strong England forward play they were able to create a platform to play from and they found the key to beating Tonga. Jonny's boot provided the buffer that England needed and the Andy Farrell try under the sticks signalled England's confidence.

The final score of 36 to 20 was a fair reflection of the game; the Tongans had used up everything they had to try to stop England's play. They should leave this tournament proud, the improvement in their rugby has been noticeable in this World Cup and their ability to compete with teams like South Africa and England demonstrate the development of their game.

England now face Australia in the quarter-finals in what will be their toughest match of the tournament. The Australians have moved quietly through this competition, notching up convincing wins as they've gone and still no disturbing the water too much for people to start focusing on them. This will be an exciting game and I have to give the edge to the boys down under. Jonah.

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